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Album Covers that Rock

Broadcasting from the basement of the Student Activities Building, WCBN-FM has played on the airwaves since 1972.

Broadcasting from the basement of the Student Activities Building, WCBN-FM has played on the airwaves since 1972. In the 39 years of its existence, this free-form, student-run station has developed an expansive collection of music. This made us wonder: What are some of the most unique album covers that the DJs have come across? Here are their top ten.

Got an unusual album cover in your own collection? Leave a comment and let us know!

Now that you’ve seen the sights, do you want to hear the sounds? Be sure to tune in to 88.3 FM in Ann Arbor.

1/10
Released in 1989, Teenage Dance party with The King Uszniewicz and His Uszniewicztunes featured songs such as “Papa-oom-mow-wow” and “Surfin’ School.” The Detroit-based band had a minor cult following in the 1980s–despite harsh reviews from critics.

2/10
George Clinton’s album You Shouldn’t Nuf Bit Fish debuted in 1983. In a note written on the cover, a WCBN-FM DJ describes the album’s six tracks as “funk and all danceable.” Clinton’s album covers have continued to impress, especially his 2008 release, George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love.

Released by A&M Records, The Tubes’ 1979 album Remote Control featured songs such as “TV is King” and “Telecide.” The band, which played from 1972-86, was known for its pop culture satire.

Scribbled notes from a WCBN-FM DJ describe the Flesh Eaters’ music as “desert/country hardcore.” Playing from 1977-83, the band was known for its morbid songs, such as “Because of You (Every Legend Dies a Quick Death)” from Prehistoric Fits.

The cover for the 1982 album Oh, No! It’s Devo features the five bandmates with their heads on potatoes. This is just one example of the unusual album covers from Devo, a band perhaps best known for the song “Whip It!”

WCBN-FM truly has a little bit of everything, as evidenced by this 1979 gospel album, Without God I Could Do Nothing, by the Northern-Airs. What makes it “wacky”? Definitely the suits.

You may know that Richard Simmons likes to get fit, but did you know he’s a recording artist too? His 1982 album Reach includes the songs “Wake Up,” “Laugh,” and “You Can Do It.”

Leo Kottke’s 1974 folk album Dreams and All That Stuff mixes romantic songs such as “Mona Ray” with down-home tracks like “When Shrimps Learn to Whistle” and “Taking a Sandwich to a Feast."

The cover photo for Germ-Free Adolescents features members of the British punk rock band X-Ray Spex in test tubes. Released in 1978, the band’s debut album includes songs such as “Obsessed With You,” “Plastic Bag,” and “I am a Poseur.” It has been cited by several critics as one of the top punk rock albums created.

10/10
It’s clear from the imagery and the album title that guitarist Eugene Chadbourne had some things to say in his 1986 album Country Protest. The cover photo displays a toilet lined with a Reagan/Bush campaign bumper sticker – providing potential listeners an idea of the type of political critique to expect.